Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
An IT team manages a customer relationship management (CRM) application hosted on a single Azure virtual machine. As the number of users grows, the CPU and memory usage on the VM consistently exceed 90%. The team decides to increase the VM size from Standard_D2s_v3 (2 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM) to Standard_D8s_v3 (8 vCPUs, 32 GB RAM) to handle the increased load. The application is not designed to run on multiple servers simultaneously. This approach represents which type of scaling in the cloud?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
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Horizontal scaling
Horizontal scaling (scaling out) involves adding more instances of the same resource, such as deploying additional virtual machines. In this scenario, the team is increasing the capacity of the existing single VM, not adding more VMs.
B
Best answer
Vertical scaling
Vertical scaling (scaling up) increases the capacity of a single resource by upgrading its specifications (e.g., more vCPUs, RAM). This matches the action of resizing the VM to a larger SKU.
C
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Diagonal scaling
Diagonal scaling is not a recognized term in cloud computing. Scaling approaches are generally categorized as either vertical (up/down) or horizontal (out/in).
D
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Auto-scaling
Auto-scaling refers to the automated adjustment of resources based on predefined rules or metrics. In this scenario, the resize was performed manually by the IT team, not triggered automatically by a scaling rule.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A developer is building a serverless application that requires integration with an on-premises SQL Server database for real-time data processing. The on-premises network is connected to Azure via a site-to-site VPN. Which Azure service would allow the function to securely access the on-premises database without exposing it to the public internet?
Question 2
A solutions architect is designing a storage solution for a large media company. The company needs to store video files that are accessed infrequently but must be retained for several years for compliance. Which two Azure storage options meet these requirements? (Select two.)
Question 3
A company deploys a multi-tier application using Azure virtual machines. The web tier VMs must be evenly distributed across two distinct data centers within an Azure region to avoid a single point of failure from an infrastructure outage. Which Azure construct should they use to meet this requirement?
Question 4
A company wants to enforce a set of security policies across all their Azure subscriptions. They have created several individual policy definitions. Which Azure construct should they use to group these policies together and assign them as a single package?
Question 5
A company deploys a line-of-business application on an Azure virtual machine. The IT team wants to ensure the application remains secure. According to the shared responsibility model, which of the following security tasks is the sole responsibility of the customer (the company)?
Question 6
A company develops a web API that runs on Azure App Service. The development team wants to deploy a new version of the API to a staging environment, run integration tests against it, and then gradually shift production traffic to the new version. If any issues are detected, they want to immediately roll back to the previous version without redeploying. Which Azure App Service feature should the team use to meet these requirements?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-900 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Vertical scaling — This scenario describes vertical scaling, also known as scaling up. Vertical scaling increases the capacity of a single resource by adding more power (e.g., more CPU, memory, or disk). In contrast, horizontal scaling (scaling out) adds more instances of the same resource, such as deploying additional VMs behind a load balancer. Diagonal scaling is not a standard cloud computing term. Auto-scaling refers to the automatic adjustment of resources based on demand, but the action described is a manual resize, not an automated process.
What should I do if I get this AZ-900 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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